Previewing the Cornerbacks: 25 Days Until Kansas Football

We continue our positional previews with a step back further into the defense. Up next is the cornerbacks.

Each week, we will take a deep dive into one of the 10 main position groups, highlighting the key players to watch and giving you an idea of what to expect from the position this year. This week, we continue moving backwards in the defense. Today, we look at the cornerbacks.

Other Positional Previews:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
  
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Linebackers

Last Season

The Jayhawks had 6 total players last season at the cornerback position who appeared in at least 8 games. Here is a list of each of those players (* - player is no longer with the team):

Player Name	Games Played	Total Tackles	Solo Tackles	Tackles For Loss	Passes Defended	Interceptions	Touchdowns	Fumbles Forced
Ra'Mello Dotson	12	50	37	1	5	2	0	0
Shaad Dabney*	12	3	2	0	0	0	0	0
Kwinton Lassiter	13	3	3	0	0	0	0	0
Cobee Bryant	11	34	29	0.5	8	3	1	1
Kalon Gervin	13	21	17	1	4	0	0	0
Monte McGary*	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0

The cornerback position was pretty thin last season, especially when you consider that the Jayhawks used five defensive backs quite often last year. But the guys that were there were very productive, as it's fair to say that the position was one of the strengths of the defense.

Cobee Bryant became one of the premier cornerbacks in the conference, even if his PFF grades didn't seem to agree. He was by far the best coverage corner that the Jayhawks had, but he wasn't alone. Mello Dotson got started early, providing an interesting threat of a pass rushing presence from the outside.

The Jayhawks have the majority of their production returning this season, so while they have added a bit of depth, they might see some big improvement even without a big contribution from the new players.

Cause For Concern

This is probably the one position that I was most concerned about last year, as the returning talent wasn't proven at all and we were banking on a lot of improvement. But this year, the real concern is the depth. What happens if Bryant or Dotson miss extended time because of injury? The Jayhawks were able to work around it last year, but the drop-off was very real. 

Reasons for Optimism

The continued improvement of the position is very encouraging. During Spring Football, Bryant was quoted as saying that the cornerback depth got a lot of opportunities to show what they could do. And with Byrant, Dotson and Kalon Gervin handling the bulk of the snaps, the core guys are coming back and providing a lot of stability.

Projected Depth Chart

The Jayhawks have more flexibility with this position than I expected in the past. Despite the thought that there were no extra cornerbacks to play a 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 look, the super-versatile Craig Young gave them a lot of extra options. I don't expect that to continue to the same extent this year, but that has as much to do with development here as it does with needs elsewhere.

CB1: Cobee Bryant/Kalon Gervin

Bryant had a breakout season last year, even as he missed time due to an injury in the Oklahoma game. He showed early why the staff was so excited to have him when they first arrived, and early indications are that he has pushed his play up to another level this year. 

Gervin was a solid option for the Jayhawks, and filled in well for Bryant during his injury. Ultimately, I expect him to maintain an important role as useful depth that will provide a backstop for Bryant. But barring injury, I expect Bryant to be on the field for the vast majority of the snaps this season.

CB2: Mello Dotson/Damarius McGhee

Dotson wasn't the highest rated player last season at the position, but he has maintained a consistently high level of play over the last few seasons, and that consistency should earn him the starting nod out of camp. And should he be overtaken in the starting lineup on the outside, his pass rushing abilities from the defensive backfield would make him a perfect option to play a hybrid role as a fifth defensive back.

McGhee, a transfer from LSU, was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. He saw the field in 12 games during his freshman year, but was recruited over and fell out of favor with the staff last season. His speed is his greatest asset, and he seems to have made great strides in his coverage skills. He has the ability to develop into a decent all-around corner, but we may not get to see all of that this season.

Depth

Kwinton Lassiter and Brian Dilworth had some productive minutes in relief last year, and I expect them to continue to be able to provide spot snaps as needed. But this team is really going to be relying on development of the backups that they do have, and maybe some opportunistic additions coming from the players listed at the safety position.

Coaching Staff

Jordan Peterson coaches all the defensive backs for the Jayhawks. He came to Kansas in January of 2020 under Les Miles, and was one of the staff members retained when Lance Leipold was hired. Prior to coming to Lawrence, he was the safeties coach at New Mexico from 2017 to 2019, also serving as the defensive coordinator in 2019. He also coached at Fresno State for five seasons.

Peterson's first season at Kansas saw the breakout of Kenny Logan, and his position groups have routinely been some of the best at tackling at each of his stops. The development last season of Cobee Bryant, Marvin Grant and Mello Dotson gives a lot of hope that he can continue to get the best out of his units this year.

Overall Thoughts

It's hard to think about this unit as anything but a strength for this team, as Bryant is getting plenty of recognition as one of the premier cornerbacks in the conference. And with the ability to be flexible and creative with the resources he has available, I trust Coach Peterson to get it figured out at the position.

When we look back at this year, I expect us to either be raving about how well this unit played, or ignoring them completely as they played well but were overshadowed by some other area of the team (either for good or bad reasons).

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